Memory Alpha:AOL chats/Ronald D. Moore/ron012.txt
Another round... ------------- Subj: Answers Date: 4/3/97 5:59:37 PM From: RonDMoore <> These conversations happen quite often and we can get pretty heated on some of these topics. We're a very close-knit group, but we're also very different people and we don't always agree on our politics or philosophical points of view, so stories that touch on deeper issues can sometimes provoke a fairly lively debate. <> Nothing specific leaps to mind except for my experience on "Darkness & Light" where I was aware of some of the criticism (mostly unfounded, in my view) regarding Kira's character in the 4th season, and therefore focused on re-emphasizing the character as I saw her for the benefit of the fans who had those concerns. Other than that, the viewpoints of the fans are discussed and brought up during story meetings all the time, but seldom are they the guiding or dominant motivation for a particular story point or character arc. We have to be careful in this area -- while we're interested in what the fans think, our sampling of opinion is tiny compared to the true viewing audience. Even taking into account all the people on AOL & Usenet that Robert and I see, plus fan mail, plus printed letters in various publications, we're still only hearing from a miniscule portion of the 5 to 6 million people who tune in every week. Our own sense of story and drama is our first and best guide. <> Rene Echevarria and Ken Biller are writing the script for the motion control ride that is being developed under the supervision of Rick Berman. <> I don't think we're going to touch this one. Gene felt very strongly that all of our contemporary Earth religions would be gone by the 23rd century, and while few of us around here actually share that opinion, we feel that we should leave this part of the Trek universe alone. <> Our full-time technical consult is Andre Bormanis who is a real honest to goodness astrophysicist. <> There was a full uniform redesign planned for "Generations" but at the last minute the new uniforms were scrapped and all that remained were the new combadges. <> I really don't know. <> Coincidence. They were both named in "Family" and I don't think I named them after anyone in particular. ---------------------- Subj: Answers Date: 4/3/97 6:26:13 PM From: RonDMoore <> Dax does have a large role in this show, but there's not much I can tell you about it at this point without giving it all away. <> An "arc" is a term that we use to describe a particular character's storyline in an episode or film. A character typically travels along an arc that begins in one place and ends up somewhere else. For instance, Sisko's arc in "Rapture" is of a man who has always been uncomfortable with the Bajoran religion suddenly getting visions, then believing they're true, then telling Bajor to stay out of the Federation, then having those visions ripped away from him against his will and missing them. The arc goes from discomfort to acceptance to regret. <> The role was there before Vanessa. We had the role already written and the show was in pre-production when suddenly we learned of her interest in the show and her willingness to do the part as it was written. << I just saw the TNG episode "Lower Decks" and I seem to remember talk of bringing ensign Sito Jacksa (sp?) back in DS9. Has there been a decision made on this?>> We talked about this for quite awhile, but then decided that bringing Sito back would rob "Lower Decks" of a great ending and so we're not going to develop this idea. <> Neither character was developed initially with their Maquis affiliation in mind. The Kasidy connection came first and was pitched to us by a free-lance writer. During the development of that storyline, we came up with the Eddington angle. <> I'm a station man. <> It happens, but it's a (thankfully) tiny portion of fandom. The audience is by and large very smart and more than able to tell the difference between fantasy and reality. (If you believe than an alien spacecraft is following a comet and will pick you up if you commit suicide, thinking Captain Kirk may be a real guy is one of your lesser problems.) << DS9 and Voyager seem to have gone from being weekly series (with repeats primarily in the late spring/summer/early fall) to occasional series with repeats all year round interspersed with one, maybe two new episodes a month. This at a time when DS9 seems to have lost its thematic way and lacks narrative consistency while Voyager seems to be hanging by ever its ever more fraying threads. Result being that the series has begun to tilt the tiniest bit toward relying on gimmicks: like Odo turning back into a changeling and Kes and Neelix breaking up for what appears to be the sake of breaking up. >> ( As usual, I won't speak for Voyager.) I've never liked nor understood the scheduling of first-run episodes versus repeats (like why are there always two first-run shows during X-mas and New Year's, when NO ONE is watching???) but I don't think they've changed the scheduling. You'll still find all new episodes during Sweeps months (November, February, May) and an odd assortment the rest of the time. As for DS9 losing its thematic way, we all feel as though we're in a groove around here and that the show has had consistancy and focus for at least the past two years. The "Odo gets his powers back" story was something we had planned from the beginning -- it may have been a mistake to do it so soon, but it wasn't a "gimmick." <> "Empok Nor" is the title, but it refers to another Cardassian-designed station. DS9 was formerly known as Terok Nor. ----------------------- Subj: Answers Date: 4/3/97 6:53:13 PM From: RonDMoore <> Sorry, guys, but I'm going to try to hold back info on the finale as long as possible. <> This is the first I've heard of this and I can't find anyone around here who can verify it, so I suspect it's not true. <> I believe that Tesh was established by Dante Alighieri (in "The Divine Comedy") as being the chief pianist and part time publicist for Satan, but the exact power relationship (or possible kinship) was not discussed. It is, however, well accepted that Tesh's music can be heard throughout the Inferno. <> Early in the development of the episode this was a possibility, but I think it was more rumor and agent-posturing than anything else. Patrick's involvement in TNG's 4th season was never seriously in jeopardy to my knowledge. <> We've been trying to loosen up the show and try different styles of storytelling, but converting to an ER-like directorial style was never really in the cards. I don't think you can radically change the entire look and feel of a show this far into its run without major problems cropping up. I don't think we feel too restricted on DS9, in fact, we're kinda digging the freedom of storytelling we've got these days. A lot of the shows we're doing now we NEVER would've gotten away with in the old days -- Our Man Bashir, Darkness & Light, Hard Times, Purgatory/Inferno, etc. <> Ron Surma is our principal casting contact. Before each episode, Ira, Steve Oster (line Producer) the director, the writer, and Ron will sit down and discuss the roles to be cast. Often the writer and/or Ira will have an idea of what type of actor we're looking for or maybe even a specific name. Ron then goes out and investigates availabilities of various actors and also brings in actors to read for the role. The final decision is a group one with the director and Ira getting veto power. <> This is not true. We never considered bringing Dennehy aboard as a regular character and the possibility of bringing on a new captain was never seriously discussed. <> The scripts go out to a fairly large number of people on the lot from the production departments (makeup, hair, wardrobe, visual efx, etc.) to administrative (legal, payroll, accounting, domestic TV, etc) and there's no shortage of people with ample opportunity to purloin scripts and give them to friends and/or sell them to dealers. <> I've read it from time to time, but not regularly. --------------- Subj: Answers Date: 4/3/97 7:13:03 PM From: RonDMoore <> You could make that analogy, but it doesn't hold up throughout the series. Depending on the episode, you could also call Bajor Israel, or Iran, or even America and the Cardassians could be Germans, or Russians or several other examples. While these parallels do enter our discussions and sometimes are more overt than others, we don't really try to make Bajor a direct analogy to any specific contemporary country or people. Blending the experiences of many Earth peoples and races into our storytelling allows us to comment on these subjects without advocating a particular political point of view, while at the same time allowing us to view the topics in a different light without the baggage of contemporary politics. << I understand that Jem'Hadar are genetically engineered, and that they do not reproduce, or procreate in our human fashion. Do the Founders or Vorta handle this task? Is there a certain race of humanoid that is preferred, or are different races used as a template for each Jem'Hadar? Or are the embryos cloned?>> None of these questions have been firmly settled in our minds. When we have a story that will reveal this info, then we'll lay it out. On the other hand, Robert and Ira (who created the Jem'Hadar) probably have some thoughts along these lines already, but we haven't discussed them in detail with the staff. <> She did not. (Yes, that's a joke. We rib him mercilessly about how many fans think Rene is a woman's name and that's why his writing is "so sensitive".) <> Yes, and you'll learn more about the fate of the Maquis in episode #23 "Blaze of Glory." <> I'm afraid so. My information about either project would be little beyond "well-placed rumor" and I'd rather not do that. <> No, we decided fairly early on that Guinan wouldn't be in the movie because she wasn't part of our storyline and we didn't want to shoehorn the character in. <> It's pretty unfair. I'm not involved and I'd rather not stand on the sidelines and throw rocks or say "how I'd do things differently." <> We've all talked about seeing a wider variety of Starfleet ships from now on and I hope we do. <> There is an explanation and no, we haven't brought him back from the dead. You'll just have to tune in and see. ---------------------- Subj: Answers Date: 4/3/97 7:34:33 PM From: RonDMoore <> If you think that women ALWAYS notice these things, then I would suggest that you're indulging in a bit of female fantasy. They don't. (Just ask Joe Esterhous' ex-wife or Robin Williams' ex-wife whether they saw the "live-in friend" or the "Nanny" as a threat until it was too late.) I should also point out that Keiko actually saw very little going on between O'Brien & Kira in this episode -- just that moment when O'Brien's giving her a massage, which was completely innocent until both Kira and O'Brien realized they were both thinking the same thing, and that happened with Keiko out of the room. As for it being offensive, I strongly take issue with that. These two people felt an attraction to each other they never suspected and may never have realized if Kira hadn't been carrying Miles' baby and living with them. There is nothing wrong with having those feelings, it's more a question of WHAT YOU DO ABOUT THEM. Both Kira and O'Brien were tempted, but neither one was going to cross the line of infidelity and betrayal. That is a noble and virtuous response in the face of a very real human situation. <> Well, Kira is an adult and no one forced her to move in with them. The O'Briens' ASKED her and she accepted, so no one was invading anyone else's privacy. Kira didn't want to go through the pregnancy alone and the O'Briens wanted to be near the baby (especially Keiko, who had the child quite literally ripped out of her and put into someone else) so Kira living with them for a while seemed like a good solution to both parties. < >> This may make you shudder more, but adult men do, in fact, talk to each other like this. Single men rib married men about sex, temptation, and other women all the time. <> You're cheating by dismissing anything having to do with Worf as "kissy poo garbage". Worf's role in Dax's life is now an important element and we've been dealing with it and her character. Dax and Kira continue to crop up in scenes, but fewer this year, I'll grant you. As others have pointed out, Sisko and Dax have had some great scenes already this year. Dax and Quark are featured prominently in "Business as Usual". Dax will have a major part in "Soldiers of the Empire" which is a Klingon show and also features Worf, but the focus is not their romantic relationship. ------------------- Subj: Answers Date: 4/3/97 7:59:12 PM From: RonDMoore <> All of the above falls into the large and ever-expanding category of "Things I Don't Know." <> I'm afraid that the truth is that the writing staff simply isn't interested in Vedek Bareil. He served his purpose for a while, and then we felt that the character and the relationship had run out of steam. While I respect your feelings to the contrary, we can't really bring him back unless we, the writers, suddenly find a similar passion for the character and I don't think that's going to happen. The show is ultimately an expression of our particular likes and dislikes and unfortunately Bareil is not one of those "likes." The show has moved on and so has Kira. <> Come, come -- I just posted a response today because I just worked my way to your questions!! Remember that sometimes I get backlogged and I do make an effort to get to everyone. Sometimes I skip a question if I feel I've answered it recently or sometimes the folder gets too crowded and I have to skip a bunch of them, but I try not to do that and I'll usually answer them if you repost the question later. <> If you're talking about our personal religious beliefs, I'm not sure that I've ever discussed them on this board on behalf of myself or the other writers so this posting is a little mystifying. If that's not what you mean, then I have no idea what you're talking about . <> They do, but exactly how the ratings are calculated is something I'm not qualified to answer. <.>> Lori is (unfortunately) absolutely correct. The majority of the mail (e or otherwise) has ALWAYS been negative on these shows, and that was true even during TNG's heyday. People don't usually take the time to write us about something positive, it's usually because they're riled up about something. <> Yes, in fact Nog will have prominent roles in the last three episodes of the season. <> There's a good chance of this happening next season. ------------- Subj: Answers Date: 4/3/97 8:10:30 PM From: RonDMoore <> I haven't heard anything about the Sulu animated series and I suspect it's just another in a long line of rumors about a Capt. Sulu series (started by George Takei, no doubt). As for IMAX in Europe, I don't know how they'll distribute the film there, but I understand they've made other IMAX projects available on video here in the states, maybe they'll do the same with Trek. <> I'm here of my own free will and I'm a big boy. Take your best shot, I can handle it. <> Nothing at the moment, but I think next season we could see some large changes in the physical station itself. <> Armin was either very tired or has been filming his very own episodes of DS9 in his spare time. There will be no Mirror story this season. <> Armin was correct this time. An Odo/Kira storyline is part of "Children of Time". <> The third and second to last are: "Empok Nor" and "In the Cards." The finale hasn't been settled. ----------------- Subj: Answers Date: 4/3/97 9:46:54 PM From: RonDMoore << I remember from my psych class (over 10 years ago) that my instructor used Star Trek as an example, pointing out that the Kirk, Spock, McCoy Troika was really analogous with the ID, Ego, and SuperEgo; all three balanced, thus creating a "healthy" personality.... Who would you place in the roles of ID, Ego, SuperEgo from DS9?>> I'm not sure if you combined the entire crew of DS9 that you'd come up with one healthy person. But setting that aside, I don't think that there are three characters that we consistantly play together that would fit this description and who would usually represent these components of the psyche. The closest I come is Worf, Sisko, Dax, but that's not very accurate. Maybe I'm wrong... anyone? <> Big things are afoot.... can't discuss them yet. Sorry. <> The emphasis on character really began with Michael Piller in Season 3 of TNG. His take on the Trek universe when he came aboard was to change the emphasis from story and plot to character and the changes in TNG's 3rd year reflect that. He carried that philosophy into DS9 and Ira Behr not only believed in that philosophy, but expanded on it to the point where now we think of the show itself as a character piece rather than science fiction. That said, we still try to work in a good mix of character, action, mystery, and science fiction into every season. << As we saw in Star Trek VI, as well as other instances, there are repercussions of an explosion of that magnitude which do exceed the speed of light, such as subspace shockwaves. Excelsior felt the explosion of Praxis clear across the Neutral Zone. Agreed, Ron?>> You betcha. <> We like Keiko, but don't have anything else planned for her this year. <> I have no complaints about the folder. You're free to post what you want and I'll depend on everyone else to let you know when the posts have travelled too far afield -- and people WILL let you know! <> The title is "In the Cards." It's begun shooting today and I'm still working on some fairly minor revisions. Each episode is different and sometimes they sail through production with only a few tweaks here and there (in the script, that is), and other times we're frantically rewriting the whole thing as they're shooting. Thankfully, there's more of the former than the latter this year. Moore, Ronald D.